1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to event recording means, and more particularly to a tracking or tally board for recording behavioral attributes of one or more persons in a group over a period of time, e.g., a child in a household over a period of one week. The board is preferably visible to the person whose behavior is being monitored, and serves as a reminder of some reward for good behavior on the part of the person, or withholding of such reward and/or possible punishment for poor behavior.
2. Description of the Related Art
Every parent and teacher knows the difficulty in raising children to behave properly. It seems that the instilling of proper behavioral habits in children has become increasingly difficult, due to negative role models provided by movies, television, and peers. Another factor which influences this trend is that parents have increasing demands upon their time, and teachers are required to spend ever increasing amounts of time on various subjects, to the extent that oftentimes poor behavior goes unpunished. Children are capable of learning quite quickly, and may learn under such conditions that such poor behavior is acceptable, or at least that it will likely go unpunished.
Accordingly, many experts in the field have written innumerable magazine articles on the subject of child behavior, and methods of developing proper behavior in children. Indeed, it seems that this subject is a common one for television talk shows and other venues where the subject comes up from time to time. The patent field also includes various devices which are intended to encourage good behavior, or discourage bad behavior, in children, as will be described further below. While many written and spoken words have been put forth on the subject, it nevertheless seems that little practical work has been accomplished toward this most desirable goal of developing good behavioral habits in children. Yet, such good behavior is critical, as adults tend to carry over the same personality and character traits which they developed as children.
The present invention responds to this need with a behavior tracking board which may be used by parents for children in the family, or in a slightly modified form by teachers who are responsible for a group of children. The present board provides a relatively objective means of keeping track of the behavior of one or more children over a predetermined period of time (e.g., one week), and also maintains the awareness of the child or children as to their status relative to reward or punishment according to the board. A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided immediately below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,414,614 issued on Jan. 21, 1947 to Edward P. Shurick, Sr., titled "Children's Behavior Indicator," comprises a board having a plurality of horizontal channels formed therein. Each of the channels contains a slide which may be advanced along the corresponding channel during the course of a week, according to the behavior of the child corresponding to the particular slide. A coin or the like is deposited at the end of each slide, to drop from the board when the slide reaches the far end of its travel and pushes the coin from the board. Shurick, Sr. provides no additional reward for exceptional behavior or for additional behavioral performance, as is provided by the present behavioral tracking board. Moreover, the Shurick, Sr. board has no provision for indicating any punishment for bad behavior, which punishment indication means is provided by the present board. Movement of the indicators of the present board is not based upon any particular time period (e.g., per day, as with Shurick, Sr.), but instead is based upon behavior, with the indicators being moved according to the children's behavior at any given point. The present board assumes good behavior, with no indicator movement being required should such good behavior prove to be the case for the period in question.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,765 issued on Apr. 28, 1959 to Alfred C. Blaine, titled "Child's Chores Recorder For Producing Incentive," comprises a vertically oriented board having a series of tags hanging thereon for daily chores, and a second series of tags representing bonuses and fines. A cylinder for holding coins is installed along the right hand edge of the device. Coins are given to the child at the end of each day, depending upon the chores completed and/or any fines for non-accomplishment of the chores. The child is expected to place at least some of his or her accrued coins into the coin holding cylinder, to encourage saving. The Blaine device does not provide for any behavior control per se, but rather only rewards or withholds reward from the child, depending upon the chores accomplished by the child. A child may be otherwise unruly or rude, but Blaine would still reward the child so long as the required chores were done. Moreover, Blaine fails to provide any form of punishment for such negative behavior, or even for failing to perform certain chores, other than withholding payment from the child.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,918,730 issued on Dec. 29, 1959 to Theodore G. Schrade, titled "Child's Behavior Recording And Incentive Device," comprises a baseball stadium layout. The child is rated from zero score to four points on each day of the week, and the score is recorded in an appropriate area of the board. Certificates are awarded to the child at the end of each period, e.g., one week, for a predetermined minimum score for the period. The Schrade board provides for only one child at a time, and thus would require as many boards as there were children in a given group. This would obviously be excessively cumbersome in the classroom. Moreover, Schrade makes no provision for punishment, other than merely withholding reward from a child whose performance is less than satisfactory for the period.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,798 issued on Dec. 27, 1960 to Harriette M. Olson, titled "Job Performance Board," comprises a plurality of vertical columns each associated with a particular day of the week, and a plurality of horizontal rows each associated with a particular task. Persons using the board are listed in a separate area at the top of the board. Tags associated with some reward for accomplishing the task, are assigned to each person listed on the board. As each person accomplishes some task listed along the leftmost vertical column, a tag is placed over that particular chore and date where the row and column intersect. Olson requires that the tags be coded in some way (colors, etc.) in order to determine which person accomplished which chore on which date. The present board does not show individual specific chores or tasks, but rather generally rewards good behavior (or punishes bad behavior), with each child having a separate row on the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,355 issued on May 22, 1962 to Royal W. Holmes, titled "Incentive Device," includes a plurality of columns into which coins may be placed. One column is provided for each day of the week, and stop means are provided at several points along each column. Chores are listed to one side, which correspond to the stop means. When the uppermost chore is completed, the stop means is removed, allowing the coin to fall to the next position. The Holmes device has several drawbacks, in that a separate board is required for each child being monitored. No provision is made for general behavior, or for the punishment of bad behavior, but only for the rigid completion of a set number of chores.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,009 issued on Jan. 1, 1974 to Eula K. Darnell, titled "Behavior Modification Point Board," comprises a board having a plurality of row and column slots therein. A leftmost column provides for the names of a plurality of students, while an upper row provides a list of desirable traits, habits, tasks to be completed, etc. A marker is placed within the corresponding slot whenever a student completes one of the upper row items satisfactorily. The markers are later exchanged for a reward of some sort. No time period is specified with the Darnell board, as only two variables can be provided for (in this case, the names of the students and the tasks). No additional rewards are provided for exceptional behavior, nor is any punishment provided for poor behavior, as provided by the present board.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,799 issued on Oct. 11, 1988 to Susan M. Walsh, titled "Portable, Self-Contained, Educational-Organizational System And Method Employing Such System," comprises a foldable panel having a list of jobs or chores for each of several persons, and a series of beads strung upon a lateral string for each person. As each chore is completed, the appropriate bead is moved from a "Do" position to a "Done" position. Parents, teachers, or supervisors provide some indication of award on a card when all chores for a given period are complete. When the card is filled, the award is provided to the child or student. As with other devices discussed above, Walsh fails to provide for any form of punishment in the event of non-completion of any of the chores or other undesirable behavior.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,509 issued on Dec. 13, 1994 to Sally K. Brocato et al., titled "Healthy Choices Play And Reward Kit," comprises a doll with a series of removably applicable messages. A child is to place the appropriate message for the day of the week on a hat worn by the doll, and then place appropriate messages relating to proper behavior, on various points of the doll body. The activity is repeated daily. Brocato et al. do riot provide any rewards to a child for exercising such good behavior, nor do they provide any punishment for a child who fails to exercise good behavior according to their kit. A separate doll is required for each individual, rather than using a single article (e.g., the present behavior tracking board) to accommodate several individuals.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.